2012 PH6

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a football field
• Will pass within 27,572,259 km of Earth in 2019
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2012 PH6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2012 PH6 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2012 PH6 orbits the sun every 848 days (2.32 years), coming as close as 1.14 AU and reaching as far as 2.37 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2012 PH6 is probably between 0.160 to 0.358 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2012 PH6's orbit is 0.16 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

2012 PH6 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2012 PH6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 10, 2012. It was last officially observed on Aug. 9, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 97 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2012 PH6:

• 8014 (1990 MF)
• 16912 Rhiannon (1998 EP8)
• 23606 (1996 AS1)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2012 PH6 is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2012 PH6 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.